Spring Cleaning

I'm behind on this one...aren't I? It's going to be summer here in Texas any minute, but I've been having a hard time getting motivated to clean.

You see, I'm the type of person who is more concerned about things looking neat and tidy and I don't care so much about things actually being clean. Dust on the blinds? I can pretty much overlook that. A few crumbs on the floor? No problem. Windows with fingerprints all over them? I'll just make a point to look out the top part of that window...

But piles of stuff accumulating on my kitchen counter? Or toys strewn everywhere? Or little unhelpers pulling things out of drawers for me to find in completely different rooms where they don't belong? No way. That's where I draw the line.

I have yet to find the perfect 'strategy' to keep me on track with housekeeping. I pick up and straighten a little at a time all day long, which I'm fine with because the visual clutter really gets to me. But the deep cleaning, the get-out-the-vacuum-attachments-and-move-all-the-things-to-clean-underneath cleaning is definitely not my style. Just ask my Mom...

She has always kept her house in perfect order. She cleans every Friday (although I would contend that the house hasn't even had time to get dirty yet!). She wipes up every spill and sweeps up every crumb. She is amazing at keeping everything neat and orderly and eat-off-the-floor clean. And I'm pretty sure I didn't get those genes...

So a few times a year, I get in a snit and need to actually clean everything that has been overlooked. Wipe the baseboards. Dust the blinds and vents. Scrub the floor on hands and knees. Move all the knickknacks, dust and replace. Wipe down the counters, the appliances, the furniture. Clean the bathrooms with a toothbrush and bleach. Get out those vacuum attachments and get every last crumb in every last corner. Make the husband clean the fan blades with a pillow case. Dust all the light fixtures. Ugh...I'm tired just making this list.

Does it get easier after the kids are older? It's not just their contribution to the mess, it's that I can never seem to actually get anything clean when they're here. It never fails--I get out all the supplies, start wiping down the shower, or washing the floor, and someone starts crying, or screaming, or has climbed onto furniture and fallen off, or has climbed onto furniture and can't get down and needs to be rescued--I'm looking at you Isla. And heaven help me if I turn on the vacuum in their presence...

While part of me is looking forward to the days that I can just send them both outside and get the house in order, the other part is trying to be happy in this moment of crumbs and overturned plates and exploring and learning and growing and mess.

So that's the honest truth about where I'm at right now in my journey to becoming a better housekeeper. Do you have any advice? What works for you? I'd love it if you'd leave a comment and share your strategies!

Hi and welcome to A Lovely Homemade Life! I'm Jennie--a stay at home mom to two beautiful kiddos, Luca and Isla, and wife to Michael. Sometimes our life feels sort of crazy, but it's always crafty! Follow along for all sorts of posts about our crafting adventures!